The application deadline for the 2026 Miriam Rivera Lieb Emerging Leader Award has been extended to Monday, February 23.  

The Emerging Leader Award recognizes a next generation credit union leader who is dedicated to the credit union mission of making a difference in peoples’ lives and has demonstrated the potential to be a leader.  

Nominees must be young professionals 40 and under and employed by a credit union that is a member of the MD|DC Credit Union Association. Nominees will compete for a professional development package, sponsored by TruStage, which includes:

• Executive coaching – 3, one-hour sessions (winner) or 1, one-hour session (runners-up)
• Scholarships to Association conferences: CONNECT 2027, 2026 Tech Summit, YP Summit
• Airfare and accommodations to visit TruStage headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin 
• Associate Board Member of the Credit Union Foundation of MD|DC (one-year term)
• Lunch with MD|DC Credit Union Association president/CEO John Bratsakis and winner’s CEO

Nominees will answer the question: How can credit unions better position themselves as the best financial choice for consumers? Written and video submissions will be evaluated by a panel of judges with finalists’ videos posted online for voting.  

Finalists will present their ideas on stage during the Association’s Annual Meeting & Convention June 2 in Ocean City, Md.  

The Emerging Leader Award application is available here

The official rules are available here.